Real Silva lining to it

Bernardo Silva was a fitting catalyst for Manchester Cityrsquos majestic march into the Champions League final as one of Pep Guardiolarsquos trusted lieutenants stole the spotlight on a defining night for his managerPrior to Cityrsquos 40 rout of Real Madrid in Wednesdayrsquos semifinal second leg the tie was billed as the stage on which Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne would underline their immense star powerHaalandrsquos recordbreaking goal spree and De Bruynersquos peerless passing have fuelled Cityrsquos surge towards a remarkable treble in recent weeksUnderstated Silva shinesBut it was the understated Silva who stole the spotlight on a cathartic evening for a club desperate to rewrite their tortured Champions League historyThe Portugal midfielder bagged two clinical goals and produced a sublime individual performance as City vanquished the Champions League holders with a 40 victory at the Etihad Stadium Just the third player to score two goals in a Champions League semifinal against Real after Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski Silva said ldquoIt is a beautiful night for us We knew it would be tough but to beat this Real Madrid team 40 at home was wonderfulrdquolsquoI am good with my headrsquoReferring to his header that put City two goals up Silva added ldquoI am small but good with my headrdquo Silvarsquos masterclass ensured City avenged a heartbreaking loss to Real in last yearrsquos Champions League semifinals when the Spaniards scored twice in the final moments of the second leg before winning in extratime Real went on to lift the trophy but City ended their reign in ruthless style and are now within touching distance of winning the Champions League for the first timeCity face Inter Milan in the final in Istanbul on June 10 and Silva will surely be at the heart of what Guardiola hopes is the final leg of their treble chargeGuardiolarsquos men can clinch the Premier League title with a victory against Chelsea on Sunday or by taking three points in either of their following two matchesThat would be a fifth title in six seasons for City who also face Manchester United in the FA Cup final on June 3 But it is the Champions League that has been Cityrsquos holy grail since Guardiolarsquos appointment in 2016Also ReadTough night for us Realrsquos ViniciusThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever